On July 19, the US armed forces conducted new airstrikes against Iran. The stated objective was to diminish Tehran’s capacity to imperil navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and to retaliate for the attack on American military personnel in Jordan.
This information was released by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on the social media platform X.
The strikes commenced on July 19 at 6:00 PM US Eastern Time, as ordered by US President Donald Trump.
“These strikes are intended to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to swiftly punish the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces that conducted attacks against US forces in Jordan last night,” stated CENTCOM in their announcement.
This marks the eighth consecutive night that the US has carried out aerial attacks on targets within Iran.
On July 18, the command reported that two American service members had died and one remained missing following an Iranian attack in Jordan. The US Central Command confirmed the fatalities occurred on July 17. This brings the total number of American military personnel killed since the conflict began to 16. A total of 420 American military personnel have been wounded since the operation commenced in February 2026.
Details Regarding the Cessation of the Ceasefire Between the US and Iran
On July 6, Iranian forces launched missile attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, striking at least two tankers.
On July 7, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a tanker was hit by an unknown drone while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
In the early morning of July 8, US Central Command forces initiated a series of strikes against Iran in response to the attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM reported “precision strikes against over 80 targets,” including Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar stations, anti-ship missile systems, and more than 60 IRGC vessels in and around the strait.
The IRGC claimed that Iranian naval and air forces had attacked 85 US military installations located in Bahrain and Kuwait.
On July 8, at a NATO summit, Trump declared that the ceasefire with Iran was no longer in effect. At a press conference following a meeting with the President of Ukraine, he warned of potential further strikes against Iran and stated that the US might reinstate a naval blockade of the country.
Trump also mentioned that US forces had already struck Iran’s Kharg Island, a crucial hub for oil exports, and did not rule out strikes on power plants and water desalination facilities.
On July 9, the United States armed forces launched further strikes on Iran to diminish its capability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The US stated that these actions were intended to hold Iran accountable for its assaults on commercial vessels and civilian crews.
On July 12, US Central Command forces commenced their third series of strikes against Iran within a week. This action was in retaliation for an attack by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the container ship M/V GFS Galaxy, which was traversing the Strait of Hormuz under the Cypriot flag.
On the night of July 13, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the initiation of a new wave of strikes against Iran, aimed at weakening its capacity to attack civilian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime drones were utilized for the first time during this new operation.
On July 14, US President Donald Trump threatened to intensify strikes against Iran in the upcoming week, extending them to include power plants and bridges, unless Tehran resumed negotiations. According to him, Iran consistently breaches agreements once they are established. Trump asserted that the US military objectives in Iran had been achieved, particularly in ensuring the Strait of Hormuz remained open, despite a significant drop of approximately 90% in usual traffic on July 13.
Previously, Trump abandoned plans to impose a 20% tariff on all vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, the President indicated that Middle Eastern nations would make substantial investments and enter into trade agreements with the US.
Source: suspilne.media